Injured Tom Curran to miss IPL 2022 and start of county season

Tom Curran will miss the upcoming IPL and the first two months of the county season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back.

Curran left the BBL four games into the season due to a "troublesome hotspot in his back", according to Sydney Sixers, and further scans after he returned to London confirmed he had suffered a stress fracture.

Surrey, Curran's county, released a statement on Monday confirming the injury. "He will now undergo rehabilitation at The Kia Oval under the guidance of Surrey's medical staff," the club said.

Curran has been involved in the IPL since 2018, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, primarily as a back-up seam-bowling allrounder, but his injury will rule him out of the 2022 season.

Curran was not named in England's squad for their upcoming T20I series against West Indies in Barbados - which starts on Jan 22 - and Surrey said that they estimated he would "not return to cricket before the start of the Vitality Blast", which is due to start on May 25.

His younger brother Sam has been out of action for several months due to an identical injury, causing him to miss both the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, but has been rehabilitating over the winter and had his first net since his diagnosis at the Oval on Monday.

Jofra Archer, another of England's injured seamers, is continuing his own rehabilitation in Barbados. He posted a video of him batting in the nets on Instagram on Monday, facing Chris Jordan - who is preparing for England's upcoming T20I series - and Surrey allrounder Nico Reifer.